The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-06-30
LONDON'S NEWEST LION.
BUFFALO BILLS AUTOBIOGRAPHY
FOR PATRONS OF THE WILD WEST. Y

BUFFALO BILLS AUTOBIOGRAPHY
FOR PATRONS OF THE WILD WEST. Y
A Sample of the Yarns He Is Telling His
Royal Friends--How He Got His Title
Other Facts in the Career of Mr. Cody.
was born in February, 1S42, in the
State of Iowa. L need not go into detail
respecting my family, and can dismiss
my youth briefly by saying that when I
was not on horse [ was just being
thrown off one. 1 soon became pretty
smart rider, and my practice with gun
was pretty good, too. L was IL years
when killed my first Indian. 1t hap
pcned rather sudden. was waiting out
by the river, near Fort Kearney, one
night about 10 o'clock. My companions
had got on ahead somehow, and I was
quite alone, when looking up toward the
bluff bordering the river L saw, illumi-
mated by the moon, the head and shoul-
ders of live Indian, watching me with
evident interest. Now I had heard
many stories of the doings of the red
mon, and had also been inculcated with
a thorough distrust of their ways; so,
quickly coming to conclusion as to
what / should do, [ brought my gun to
my shoulder, and aiming at the head,
fired. Tho report sounded louder than
usual In the silence of the night, for it
was past 10 o'clock, and was followed by
Il war whoop such as could only be built
up by an Indian, and the next instant
| p,,,x- Co. &c T.~l
splash into the river.
Soon after this L went to business. I
took to the plains, and in the employ of
Mcssrs. Russell and Simpson, soon
learned the lls and outs of the wild life
led with horses and cattle driving teams,
riding express ponies, and getting to
know the land Among other things, I
somehow found out how to hunt buffalo,
Il sport second to none, if you know
how. L shall never forget the faces of
five officers l met on the prairie once,
now many years ago. They were after
Il herd of buffalo. So was I. We OK
changed views. gavo them my ideas,
they gave me their sympathy. "You
surely don't expect to catch buffalo with
that Gothic steed," said they.
81 am going to try" L said.
"Inull never do 1t, man alive" said
blc cup Valn. III WanCS laSG nOr6O TO
ovcrtake buffalo"
'Does it?" responded.
eyes, but you can come with US, il
you like"
And L did like. There were eleven
builalos in the herd, and while the
officers rode straight at them, / headed
the leaders and got up to them with
ease. The horse which my companion
had been chatling was the famous Brig
ham, who know rs much about the sport
as L did; he speedily did his part of the
business. few jumps brought us up
to the herd. Raising 'Lucretla Borgia,"
my trusty weapon, L aimed at the first.
animal, fired and brought him down..
brigham, like the ideal animal that he,
was, carrying me rapidly up to the next,
brute, not ten feet away; and, when L
had dropped him, bounded on to the
next, and SO on, until L had slain the.
whole eleven animals, and then my
horse stopped. L dismounted to regard
my work with a feeling of satisfaction.
Those officers rode up shortly, and L
shall never forget their expression as
they surveyed the work of five minutes
lying around.
My horse brigham was an exception
ally intelligent brute. He took the
kccncst delight in sport, and invariably
took pains to aid me in getting game.
All he expected of me was to do the
shooting. The rest was his work. lie
would always stop if the buffalo did not.
full at the at the first shot, so as to give,
mo second chance; but if L did not
bring him down then he would 20 on
disgusted.
1t was in 1867 that the Kansas Pacific
track was in the buffalo country, and the
company was employing over twelve
hundred mon in the making of the road.
The Indians wore very troublesome, and
1T was not always easy to get sufficient
supplies OF fresh meat for the men. Is
Wa3 about this time that Mossrs. God
dard, the contractors to the constructors,
made me handsome offer, provided [
would undertake to hunt for them. They
required twolvo builalos per diem. The
work was somewhat dangerous, owing to
the Indians, but the terms were hand
some-$5O0 por month. 1 took the offer.
and Ill less than eighteen months, dur.
ing which time my engagement lasted.
L killed 1920 buffalos single-hapdedu
and had many scrimmages with the In
dams, and hairbreadth escapes. 1t was
during this period Of my career that L
had my celebrated buffalo killing match
with BILLY COmatOck, tho noted scout,
then at Fort Wallace. The terms were,
settled IS follows We were to hunt ono
day Of eight hours, from a. m. to D.
M. The stakes were $500 o side, and
the man who killed the most buffalo was
to bo declared the winner. The contest
took place twenty miles east from She1i.
dan, and many thousand people ce.me,
from all parts to see the sport. We wore
fortunate in finding animals, and had
piUnty of sport. We made three runs
each. and killed sixty-niro bufalos,
my rival being content with forty-six.
Not bad days work, day which is an
historical one for me, inasmuch as since
then have invariably been referred to
IN all parts oi the civilized world as
Buffalo Bill.
! - s-~------
: e. NJ, ID.